I.F. Stone Birthday Party, Plaza Hotel, New York City 1978

Larry Fink made this gelatin silver print, I.F. Stone Birthday Party, Plaza Hotel, New York City, which grabs you with its grainy texture, like a memory trying to sharpen itself. The blacks push forward, almost swallowing the lighter tones, creating a tension. I love how Fink uses the flash, not to brighten, but to isolate moments, freezing gestures mid-air. Look at the man with the outstretched arm, the way the light catches the cigarette between his fingers. It’s as if he’s conducting the chaos of the party itself. It reminds me of some of Weegee’s work, that same raw, unapologetic view of life. There is something so generous about Fink’s eye, and this piece, like much of his work, feels like an invitation to see the beauty in the everyday, the awkward, the real. It’s like he’s saying, “Here, look at this. Isn’t it something?”